The End Starts Here
by 14horcruxes
Summary: Post SCORPIA Rising: Alex has moved to America with the Pleasures with the hope of starting a new life. But as always, danger has a way of finding him and soon he is on the run from new criminal gang The Slashers who hope to finish what SCORPIA started but this time, Alex has a girl on his side.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: My first name is not Anthony and my second is not Horowitz, therefore I do not own Alex Rider!**

* * *

_The plane has reached the start of the runway and was waiting there while the pilots made the final checks._

"_Are you feeling alright Alex?" Edward asked._

_I nodded "Yes, I'm fine"_

_The engines roared. The plane rolled forward picking up speed, then rose into the sky._

I looked out of the small aircraft window to see London gradually shrinking away from me, along with Brooklands, MI6, Tom, my house in Chelsea and the memories it held of _**Jack**_. I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts. There was no other option I told myself. I had to get better. I had to heal. I couldn't live in this state of depression forever. Trying to divert my thoughts, I switched on the small TV in front of me and flicked through the films showing. It was hopeless. Half of them I'd already seen and the other half were pointless romcoms that I was in no mood to watch.

Desperate for a space of my own, I got up and hastily went to the toilet to clear my head. I clutched the sink in the small cabin and examined myself in the mirror. I looked horrible. There were dark rings under my eyes from lack of sleep and I was in terrible need of a haircut. After splashing my face with ice cold water and brushing my hair with my fingers, I made my way back to my seat. After sitting down on the chair, fatigue gripped me and I sunk into a deep slumber.

I was woken by Mr Pleasure a few hours later saying "Alex we're ten minutes away, you need to get up." and gently shaking my shoulders.

Startled, I brushed back my hair from my face and looked around the aircraft. Had I really slept that long? I hadn't slept like that since Jack died. She haunted my every waking thought and followed me into my nightmares. I sighed loudly and sunk back into my chair, waiting for the plane to touch down. Hopefully, meeting Sabina and the rest of the Pleasure's would ease my mind.

At last the plane landed in San Francisco and I hopped out, eager to exit the airport. I dodged past the tourists with Mr Pleasure close behind me, the sun beating down as I did. After breaking through the crowd and collecting our baggage, we made an effort to small talk before reaching Arrivals. There was a huge crowd waiting there, eager to welcome family and friends. I scanned it, looking for Sabina or Mrs Pleasure. Suddenly, my eyes locked onto Sabina and she saw me too. Within moments, my suitcase was on the floor and she was in my arms.

"Alex, it's great to see you!" she shrieked. "I have so much to tell you, you're going to love it here!"

I hope I do, I thought to myself as we made our way to the Pleasure's huge Range Rover. Everything in America seemed so _**big**_. I opened the door and climbed in, to be met by a welcoming blast of air conditioning whilst Sabina nattered in my ear. I had the uncanny ability to tune out people when I didn't want to listen to them. Not that I didn't like Sabina. I just needed some quiet, to think and absorb what was happening. Here I was, starting a new life. A fresh start after the pain I had experienced in the last year.

Eventually, she realised it too when I forgot to nod at appropriate intervals and just ended up staring out of the window. The car was silent. Mrs Pleasure ended this by saying "Alex, you start school next week, it may seem a bit early, but I thought you would like to resume a _**normal **_life as soon as possible."

I thanked her silently as we made our way to Presidio Heights. The last thing I needed was a couple of weeks just stewing over what had just happened with Razim, Julius and Jack. I wanted to get busy as soon as possible. The road passed by quickly and the wind blew my hair in my face. That was when I saw it. A man dressed in black was son the top of a roof with a gun. I turned to look behind me and then stopped myself. I was done with that. That was what had ruined my life. No more I told myself. No more.

A few minutes later, the car rolled into the driveway of the most beautiful house I had ever seen. It was nothing like the small, compact house in Chelsea. It was every bit as grand as I had imagined it. I just stared in silence whilst the Pleasure's looked at me worriedly for approval.

"It's beautiful" I said and was met by smiles and a warm hug from Mrs Pleasure. I picked up my bags and made my way in. This was when my life began.

* * *

**Authors note:**

**Thank you so much for reading! It's my first story so constructive criticism is appreciated. Please R&R, I would love to know whether the story is worth carrying on. Other than that, CARPE DIEM my friends!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Danger's found me

Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Yay I own Alex Rider! Wait...damn I woke up.**

* * *

Settling down was...difficult. It had been three days since I had arrived in San Francisco and I didn't expect it to be so hard, but it turns out living with new people in a new country was easier said than done. Firstly, the timings ruined my sleep. I would occasionally nod off on the couch whilst watching TV with the Pleasures and end up waking in a cold sweat with them looking worriedly at me. It wasn't my fault the nightmares plagued me; I just wish that they understood.

Sabina, she had changed. She was less of the friend who I met at Wimbledon and more overpowering. She was flirtatious up to the point of embarrassment and she was constantly correcting me. Just the other day I called a movie a 'film' only to be met by Sabina forcefully adding "We call it a movie down here _**Alex**_" Mr. and Mrs Pleasure were the total opposite. They treated me like I was some fragile object and always talked in somewhat hushed tones when I was around. It seemed that nobody understood that what I wanted was to be treated like a normal teenage kid.

Annoyed, I decided to get some fresh air. I pulled on a white t-shirt and some cargo shorts and left the house to a shout from Mrs Pleasure saying "Be home by six o' clock!" I left the house and walked down the driveway and looked both ways. I decided to take the route I never usually did and just carried on walking, my headphones in my ears and leading to my back pocket. I turned the music up extremely loud, trying to drown out my thoughts and for a few seconds, I was unusually peaceful. That was when they came.

I couldn't believe how unlucky I was as I watched four thugs stride along beside me. The boy, who I assumed was the 'leader' then spoke.

"You're the new kid aren't you?" he sneered, his nasal voice only amplified by his crooked nose.

"Yeah, I am" I replied defiantly, knowing that I could take each and every one of them on and not have a scratch on me.

"Say" he said, taken aback "You have a bit of an attitude, we need to show you who's boss" and on cue, his goons walked up to me, clenching their fists.

The first one took a clumsy swing at my head, hopefully trying to knock me out, but I ducked swiftly and punched him in the stomach. He doubled over and took a kick to the head. One down, three to go. The second advanced, slightly agitated after seeing what had just happened to his partner and a kick to the solar plexus sent him down. The leader, seemed a bit frightened now, he tried not to let it show but it was all in the eyes. He nodded to his friend and they both advanced. As I took a swing, attempting to knock out his friend, I was grabbed from behind and felt an uncomfortable poke from what I realised was a knife.

"Go on Tyson!" his friend shouted, leering at my expression.

Brilliant, I thought to myself and waited to feel the cold metal plunge into my back. Suddenly, Tyson's friend just dropped at my feet, unconscious. Taking this as an amazing opportunity, I turned and punched Tyson in his already crooked nose, to be met with howls of pain. He turned on his heels and ran, leaving a pile of unconscious thugs at my feet. I looked behind me, to thank my saviour to find a girl, about my age standing behind me, sweat dripping down her face.

"Erm, thank you" I stuttered "I'd be dead without you"

"Don't mention it" she replied, smiling "I've been waiting a long time to do that"

"So, I think I should know the name of the girl who saved me" I added casually

"Kara" she said, smirking "Kara Rhodes"

"I'm Alex, Alex Rider"

"Well Alex, it was lovely meeting you but I must be on my way now" she said and turned to walk back.

"Wait!" I called after her "Why don't I walk you home?"

She grinned and nodded, motioning for me to come. Unable to believe my luck and walked after her. I couldn't help it. I thought she was beautiful. She had flawless caramel coloured skin and the most beautiful brown eyes I'd ever seen. She flicked her long black hair and turned to find me gawping at her.

"So Alex" she said "You're new here? I noticed you sounded British"

"Yeah" I replied "I just moved here from London. I'm staying up at Presidio Heights"

She scoffed "Typical rich kid place"

We walked in silence after that and I noticed that it seemed to get darker and the houses seemed more run down. As we were walking, I noticed that the spring in Kara's step had gone and she had a dark look in what seemed like warm, welcoming eyes. It was the look I had when I came home from missions. Not that I'd do anymore, it just seemed familiar. We carried on walking until we reached an alleyway and Kara turned and spoke to me

"You can drop me off here Alex" she said

"Are you sure?" I questioned, looking around at the shady neighbourhood "I can come to your door if you like"

"No, its fine" she added and I knew it was final. She looked like she wanted to tell me something and I thought she was going to and then she looked back and walked away. I watched her silhouette disappear and couldn't help but wonder when I would see her again. I hadn't felt like this in a long time. She seemed so relatable, she seemed broken. Just like me.

Smiling to myself, I turned to walk back home to find the wall behind me had a message in white paint. _**We're watching you Alex**_ it read. I hastily looked around me, trying to find out who'd done it, but there was nobody. Just me and a street of run down houses. Frightened, I turned to walk away as quickly as I could and couldn't help but feel as if I was being followed. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I felt a shudder run through my body along with a familiar burst of adrenaline. There is someone there. I turned around again but saw no one. I checked the time on my watch. 4:45pm. I had to be home in fifteen minutes. I increased my pace and was glad when I finally saw some sunlight.

My fast walk increased to a jog as I saw police cars pull up at the sight of the bodies I had knocked unconscious that day. I was almost home. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I reached up to touch the spot to find a dart sticking out of the soft flesh.

"Not again" I muttered and the world blacked out.

* * *

**Authors note: Thank you again for reading! The reviews brought a smile to my face and as a thank you I uploaded today! I hope you like it, its a bit longer and hopefully better than chapter 1. You see the little button down there? Yeah it says Review. Click on it. That's the spirit! Constructive criticism is always appreciated. x**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Inevitable

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, Alex Rider is not mine. But he will be...Soon.**

**Kara's P.O.V**

Alex lay inside the small, claustrophobic room with his head lolling onto his chest. It seemed odd to say it, but he looked so peaceful. I never realised how tense he always looked. I then realised he'd probably want to know why he was here and what it meant. Whilst thinking up some sort of explanation, he stirred. Moaning, he struggled to open his eyes, but when he did, they were cold and without emotion. Not the eyes of a fifteen year old boy. He looked around the room a few times, puzzled and then he spoke.

**Alex's P.O.V**

"Where am I?" I said, trying not to let the betrayal get through my voice

"CIA headquarters" replied Kara "We need you for a mission"

That was a bit blunt I thought to myself. Blunt. Alan Blunt, the man who ruined my life. How could she just waltz in here and ask me to do that to myself again. Had she not got any idea the crap I had been through? She looked at me, waiting for a reply hesitantly.

"You can forget it" I said shaking my head. "I've been through enough without this, don't you have other men?"

As if on cue, a tall athletic man walked in. He couldn't have been more than twenty as was suggested by his tanned features, high cheekbones and short, cropped, chestnut brown hair. If he didn't have that serious look in his eyes, girls would have been all over him. Then I thought about Kara who smiled at him as he walked in. Does she like him? I then forced myself to push the thought away. After all, Kara didn't protect me because she actually liked me. No, there was always a catch, and this time, it was because she wanted me alive to do some crazy mission. Jake went over and stood protectively next to Kara, like a father. No, not a father, a brother and surveyed me.

"Isn't it every boy's dream to be like James Bond?" he asked curiously, as if he couldn't believe I had declined the offer to save the country and almost kill myself in the process. I couldn't believe that he was so naïve. Did he really think that just because I was some hormonal teenage boy, that I would just _**agree**_ to go and save my country? I know that in the missions that I did, I was unusually successful, but that definitely did not mean that I enjoyed what I did, in anyway shape or form.

"Not this one" and I proceeded to get up out of the chair and leave the small room. I was immediately pushed back by the man into the chair who then came near me and said in a deathly quiet whisper "You're living with the Pleasures aren't you Alex?"

I could not believe it! He was bringing the Pleasures into this. How could he? Just so I could risk my neck doing some stupid job for the country. My thoughts were interrupted by Kara stepping forward and asking

"Jake, what did you tell him?"

The shock must have been clear on my face as even Jake stepped back with a smirk on his face and the couple watched me whilst I debated in my head. At this point, I honestly didn't know what to do. I had this horrible feeling building up in my chest because I knew that very soon, the inevitable and unwanted would soon happen and there would be nothing that I could do to change it.

"I can call MI6" I said, hoping that that would unnerve them.

"What do they care?" Jake said quietly. "After all, you're an American citizen now. You have nothing to do with Britain and Britain has nothing to do with you."

The realisation that MI6 couldn't get me out of this situation and the fact that I couldn't get out of it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I wanted to scream and struggle and cry and let out all my anger. But I couldn't. Not in front of those two. I shot a murderous look at the pair and asked the question. These six words would change my destiny.

"What do I have to do?"

Jake stepped back and allowed Kara to brief me on what it was we had to do. She pulled up a chair and sat next to me. I thought that she of all people would understand my situation, but it seemed that she did not. She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts and spoke

"_The Slashers, are the latest criminal gang. They operate worldwide and their main aim, like most other gangs is to make as much money as they can. Human trafficking, prostitution, drug trade is what they do, just to name a few. What you and __**I **__will be doing is to infiltrate the Slashers, become one of their own and bring them down. Cause a war between them and then, we leave. That is all. We classed the mission as high risk although we should be safe as long as we do not blow our cover. The head of The Slashers is called Mr X and no one has ever seen him but he always leaves a little tape recording at The Slashers headquarters. We aim to find him and kill him. Our code names are Alyssa Taylor and Adam Fletcher respectively. Both were bigshot gangsters and we are their grandchildren. We met because they were both childhood friends._

Kara stopped and looked at me for approval. I thought about it and decided that it did not seem so bad considering I had someone by my side. Two heads are better than one. I looked at her and nodded. She sighed a sigh of relief and motioned for Jake to come back in.

"He has agreed to it" she said smiling up at him

He shot a reassuring smile back at her and then turned to me "I was sure that he would"

"Wait, is that all the information I get on my cover?" I asked

"Here, we believe that making up lies on the spot is much more effective. Highly trained and professional people like these can sniff out well rehearsed stories in a flash"

I just looked at both of them and admitted to myself that the idea was fairly clever.

"Training begins tomorrow" they said in unison and my heart sank.

**Author's Note: **

**Thank you so much for reading! By the way, for you Alex Rider fans, listen to the song Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia and think of Alex Rider. yeah, I had a heart attack too. Do you see the review button? Please hit it and remember you don't need a fanfiction account to review stories! It would mean a lot! Thanks xx**


End file.
